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in collaboration with
Johanna Rozenblum (clinical psychologist)
If you have a toxic person in your life, you know how difficult it can be to communicate with them. However, there are strategies you can put in place to prevent this type of personality from draining all your energy. Here are some strategies, according to psychologist Johanna Rozenblum.
Toxic people love to sow discord and manipulate you in order to get what they want. It is almost impossible to have a fluid and calm discussion with this type of individual. Therefore, it is essential to put in place strategies that allow you to protect yourself from these harmful people and the damage they could do to your mental health. Here is how to do it.
Set clear boundaries
To deal with toxic behavior, smart people set clear boundaries.They are essential to protect yourself from the stress caused by interactions with toxic people, who will not know how to respect you otherwise.” explains Johanna Rozenblum, who advises defining them face to face, with simple sentences.You really have to verbalize things. ‘Say: I don’t allow you to talk about me in my absence’ to a colleague, for example,” she says.
Establish emotional distance
Clearly defining what you will tolerate and what is unacceptable to you is the way to protect yourself from these harmful influences. In addition to ensuring that the boundaries are not crossed, intelligent people also make sure to keep an emotional distance from these people, so as not to be affected (or as little as possible) by their negativity.You always have to take a step back“confirms Johanna Rozenblum”and not let yourself be affected by what might be said“.
Express your needs clearly and say no when necessary
To avoid being overwhelmed by a toxic person, the psychologist recommends being assertive. “We must not hesitate to say nowithout having to justify oneself and not being in an infantilized posture, which requires having to defend oneself” “, says Johanna Rozenblum. This is only possible when one has a high enough self-esteem and self-esteem to not doubt one’s worth, in the face of others and their manipulations.
Respond calmly
Toxic personalities will try to push you to the limit.To avoid this, I always recommend limiting exchanges with these individuals as much as possible, so as not to let them get to you. And when exchange is necessary, reduce it to a minimum and respond calmly, without being destabilized.” recommends our expert.
Feel good in your body, feel good in your head!
Having support from others
Finally, the psychologist recommends maintaining support from loved ones or a health professional if necessary.This is essential, on the one hand so that they can help you or at least listen to you and know what you are going through.” she explains.And sometimes, the help of a psychologist will be necessary for his active listeningbut also to give you advice on how to react and hold out over time, because unfortunately we cannot always cut ties with this type of people” she concludes.
Slide: 10 Signs You’re in a Toxic Relationship